Centrifugal feed device



A. BECKER ETAL 2,896,412

CENTRIFUGAL FEED'DEVICE July 28, 1959 Filed Oct. 21, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 k 22 34 Z3 v I IN VEN T085 AUGUST 550/452 NE/Z. KANE ATTOR/VE Y y 28, 1959 A. BECKER ET AL. 2,896,412

CENTRIFUGAL FEED DEVICE Filed 001;. 21, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet. 2

/E/Ll KANE ATTO'RNEY CENTRIFUGAL FEED DEVICE August Becker, Fullerton, and Neil G. Kane, Santa Fe timings, Calif.

Application October 21, 1957, Serial No. 691,208

12 Claims. ((11. 60-545) This invention relates to a feed means that operates by centrifugal force, the same being adapted for a variety of uses among which are drilling, reaming, milling, riveting, punching, or broadly, as an actuator to change rotary into linear motion.

An object of the present invention is to provide a device that utilizes the rotary motion imparted to a tool or like member to cause feed of the same.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of the character referred to .in which such rotation, by centrifugal force, causes a feed of pressure fluid and feed of a tool or like member by the fluid.

A further object of the invention is to provide automatic feed means in which the fluid is in a self-contained chamber that directly feeds pressure to the member to be moved linearly.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a feed means, as above, in which means is provided to control the rate of feed and the stroke independently of the speed of rotation of the device. A yet further object of the invention is to provide a novel combination of a centrifugal feed head, as above, and a prime mover therefor, both in a unitary and com pact arrangement.

The invention also has for its objects to provide such means that are positive in operation, convenient in use, easily installed in a working position and easily disconnected therefrom, economical of manufacture, relatively simple, and of general superiority and serviceability.

The invention also comprises novel details of construction and novel combinations and arrangements of parts, which will more fully appear in the course of the following description. However, the drawings merely show and the following description merely describes, preferred embodiments of the present invention, which are given by way of illustration or example only.

In the drawings, like reference characters designate similar parts in the several views.

Fig. l is a partial elevational and partial sectional view of one form of centrifugal feed head as combined with a prime mover, such as an electric motor.

Fig. 2 is an elevational View, in quarter section of the feed head shown in Fig. l and in an operating position, placing pressure on a member due to centrifugal force.

Fig. 3 is a face view of a piston used in said feed head.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of said piston to show details thereof.

Fig. 5 is an elevational view, in quarter section, of another form of hydraulic feed head, the same embodying means to actuate a member at a predetermined rate of feed and length of stroke.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view as taken on the line 66 of Fig. 5, the parts being shown in another positionthat of minimum or no feed.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view as taken on the plane of line 7-7 of Fig. 6 but in the full-flow position of Fig. 5. V

The present centrifugal feed device comprises, genannulus 28 of the piston 11.

42 affixed to the hub 25.

2,896,412 Patented July 28, 1959 erally, a rotary head 10, a piston 11 disposed in said head, centrifugal weight means 12 to cause longitudinal movement of the piston during rotational movement of the head, a diaphragm means 13 carried by the head and operatively engaged with the piston and enclosing a hydraulic chamber 14 in a manner to be independent of the part of the head in which the piston moves, an elongated hollow extension 15 in communication with the chamber 14, a member 16 disposed in the extension 15 and movable longitudinally according to the feed of hydraulic fluid from chamber 14 into the hollow of extension 15, and means 17 mounting the head 10 for rotation thereof at a high rate of speed.

The above generally-described device may also be provided with means 18 that has the dual purpose of limiting the stroke of the member 16 and the rate of feed thereof. Said means 13 is shown in Figs. 5, 6, and 7, and it will be obvious that the same may be incorporated in the head shown in Fig. 1.

With more particular reference to Figs. 1-4, the head 10 is shown as comprising a cylindrical housing 20, the same having one end wall 21 integral with the cylindrical or tubular wall 22 and an opposite end wall 23 that encloses an interior chamber 24. The wall 23 is formed as a plate having a central boss 25 which is hollow to receive the end of the elongated hollow extension 15.

The piston 11 is slidingly fitted within the above described housing and is formed with a central hollow hub 26 that extends from an annular wall 27. An annulus28 encircles the wall 27 and, as best seen in Fig. 3, said annulus is provided with a set of uniformly spaced radial recesses 29 in circular arrangement around the center of said piston.

The centrifugal weight means 12 comprisesa set of elongated cylindrical members 30 provided with opposed conical ends 31 and 32, on such member 38 being disposed in each of the mentioned recesses 2? of the piston 23. The members 30 constitute Weights and it will be clear that the same are guided in the recesses 29 and can move only outwardly under centrifugal force in response to rotational movement of the head and of the piston; It will be noted from Fig. 3 that the latter is provided with a set of transverse openings 33, the same being provided for mounting the piston on longitudinal rods within the chamber 24, thereby connecting the pisso as to receive the conical ends of the member 30.

The diaphragm means 13 is shown as comprising a metal flange 36 extending from the plate 23 into an annular recess 37 that is formed between the hub 26 and the The flange 36 is used to clamp a thin-walled and resilient diaphragm 38 that is formed to line the inner face of the flange 36. Said diaphragm is doubled back at 39, lines the outer surface 40 of the hub 26 and extends across the outer face of said hub, as at 41. The hydraulic chamber 14 is defined within the diaphragm above described and the same is open through the center of the hub 25 of the head 10.

The hollow extension 15 comprises an elongated tube The outer end of said tube is provided with a bearing block 43 and the same may be capped as at 44.

The member 16 is shown as a piston 45 that operates,

, for longitudinal movement, in the hollow of tube 42, a

Assuming the chamber 14 to be completely filled with hydraulic fluid and the piston in its leftmost position as in Fig. 1, upon high speed rotation of the head it), the weights 30 are forced out centrifugally to cause the piston 28 to move toward the right as indicated in Fig. 2, thereby reducing the effective size of the chamber 14 with a resultant displacement of hydraulic fluid in a direction to cause the piston 45 to project toward the right. As a consequence, and assuming that the stem 46 is keyed to the bearing block 43 as at 49, the tool 48 will be both l rotated and projected during such rotation of the head it When the speed of rotation of the head is decreased or stopped, a return spring 50 between the piston 45 and the bearing block 49 acts to retract the member 16 and,

through the solid mass of the liquid in chamber 14, the

piston 11 is urged back toward theleft as the weights 30 are retracted in a direction to cause their conical ends to again enter the conical seats from which said ends had been displaced by centrifugal force.

Fig. shows one of two or more support standards 51 on which the head may be revolvably mounted. Said figure also shows that anti-friction bearings 52 may be used in such support standards so that the speed of rotation of the head may be high. Fig. 1 shows that these standards may be replaced by the housing 53 of the prime mover 17, the bearings52 being so embodied in said housing as to mount the extension in the manner of an axle or shaft within said housing 53. The usual field coils 54 and field magnets 55 may be carried by the housing and thearmature 56 of said prime mover may be wound on the tube 42 is substantially the same way that it would be wound as if said tube 42 were a motor shaft.

The modification shown in Figs. 5, 6, and 7 varies somewhat, from the viewpoint of structural detail, from the one above-described but is essentially the same in that centrifugal force outwardly projects the weights 12 and biases a piston 11 in a direction to displace hydraulic fluid from a chamber 14 into the interior of a tube 82 to cause projection of a piston 45, its stem 46 and any tool that may be carried on the end of said stem. In this case the fluid moving from chamber 14 enters the tube 42 through a port 60 there being one or more connecting passages 61 between said chamber 14 and port 60.

The means 18 that is illustrated comprises a valve 62 that has a through passage 63 in which is fitted a slidable latch 64. The latter is connected to a stem 65 that has an operating end 66 directed toward the diaphragm means and subject to movement by engagement with said means. The valve 62 is disposed in a radial seat 67 in the housing head 68 and an outer extension 69 of the valve is adapted, when the valve is projected, to extend outwardlyfrom said housing 68.

An adjustable ring 70 carried by threads 71 on the housing 68 is provided with a conical cam face 72 which may be adjusted to have variable relationship to the valve end 69. As shown, the valve may open fully since the cam 72 is clear of the end 69. However, when the cam 72 is adjusted toward the left, the same will be encountered by said valve end, according to the degree of adjustment, and limit the outward movement of the valve, accordingly.

The valve is provided with a latch recess 73 that is engaged by the portions 74 of the latch 64. Thus, with the latch 64 in the position of Fig. 5 the valve 62 cannot be projected and hydraulic fluid from the chamber 14 has free passage through the passageway 63 to the port 60. However, when the piston 11 is projected toward the right the same encounters the end 66 of the shaft 65 and displaces the latch 64 toward the right so as to free the portions 74 of said latch from engagement with the latch recesses 73. As a consequence, the valve 62 is released for centrifugal movement radially. Since the latch 64 is disposed in the upper portion of the passage 61, when the value is forced out centrifugally, the flow between the chamber 14 and the port 69 is re duced and eventually shut oif when the lower part of the valve reaches the latch. This condition is shown in Fig. 6 and it will be seen from this figure that the passage 63 is aligned with the seat 67 rather than with the passage 61. A spring 82 returns the valve to its initial position, as in Fig. 5.

It will be clear that according to the adjustment of the cam ring 7 0 and of the member 76, both the amount and the rate of displacement of fluid from chamber 14 into tube 42 is controlled. Accordingly, the member 16 is projected either fully or a specified limited amount and the rate of projection is controlled as desired.

It will be realized that the form of the invention shown in Figs. 5, 6, and 7 may be operably connected to a prime mover 17 so that the resultant device embodies the additional controls that are features of the modification.

While the foregoing specification illustrates and describes what we now contemplate to be the best modes of carrying out our invention, the constructions are, of course, subject to modification without departing from the spirit and scope of our invention. Therefore, we do not desire to restrict the invention to the particular forms of construction illustrated and described, but desire to cover all modifications that may fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A centrifugal feed device comprising a head having a tubular extension, means mounting said head and extension for high speed rotation, said head having a chamber therein, a piston mounted in said chamber to move longitudinally to the axis of the tubular extension, centrifugal weights extending between the piston and an end wall of the head, said weights having end portions engaged with the piston and said end wall to move the latter away from the former during centrifugal movement of the weights, a diaphragm-enclosed chamber within the head chamber and containing hydraulic fluid, said en closed chamber being size-controlled by the piston, said tubular extension opening in said enclosed chamber, and a member in the tube moved longitudinally therein by fluid displaced from the housing into the tube.

2. A centrifugal feed device comprising a head having a tubular extension, means mounting said head and extension for high speed rotation, said head having a cham ber therein, said means comprising longitudinally spaced anti-friction bearings engaging longitudinally spaced portions of the tube, a piston mounted in said chamber to move longitudinally to the axis of the tubular extension, centrifugal weights extending between the piston and an end wall of the head, said weights having end portions engaged with the piston and said end wall to move the latter away from the former during centrifugal movement of the weights, a diaphragm-enclosed chamber within the head chamber and containing hydraulic fluid, said en closed chamber being size-controlled by the piston, said tubular extension opening in said enclosed chamber, and a member in the tube moved longitudinally therein by fluid displaced from the housing into the tube.

3. A feed device according to claim 2 in which the bearings are embodied in the housing of an electricmotor of which the tube constitutes the shaft.

4. A feed device according to claim 2 in which the bearings are embodied in the housing of an electric-motor of which the tube constitutes the shaft, the motor armature being carried by said tube.

5. A feed device according to claim 2, means embodied in the head to control the stroke of the member in the tube.

6. A feed device according to claim 2, means embodied in the head to control the stroke of the member in the tube, and the rate of feed of fluid to control the rate of movement of the member. v

7. A feed device according to claim 2, means to control the rate of feed of fluid to control the rate of movement of the member.

8. A centrifugal feed device comprising a head having a tubular extension, means mounting said head and ex tension for high speed rotation, said head having a chamber therein, said means comprising longitudinally spaced antifriction bearings engaging longitudinally spaced portions of the tube, a piston mounted in said chamber to move longitudinally to the axis of the tubular extension, centrifugal weights extending between the piston and an end wall of the head, said weights having end portions engaged with the piston and said end wall to move the latter away from the former during centrifugal movement of the weights, a diaphragm-enclosed chamber within the head chamber and containing hydraulic fluid, said enclosed chamber being size-controlled by the piston, said tubular extension opening in said enclosed chamber, a member in the tube moved longitudinally therein by fluid displaced from the housing into the tube, and means engaged with the member in the tube to retract the same and, through the hydraulic fluid, retract the piston in the head during slowing of rotation of the head.

9. A feed device according to claim 8 in which the bearings are embodied in the housing of an electric-motor of which the tube constitutes the shaft.

10. In a centrifugal feed device, a rotationally-mounted housing, a flexible diaphragm dividing said housing into two separate chambers, a piston in one chamber, centrifugal weight means interconnecting said piston and housing to move the former when the weight means is moved outwardly centrifugally, said piston being engaged with the diaphragm to move the same in a direction to reduce the size of the second chamber, hydraulic fluid in said second chamber and displaced therefrom by the diaphragm, and a member projected by said displaced fluid.

11. In a centrifugal feed device according to claim 10, means to control the rate of feed of fluid. from the second chamber and, therefore, the rate of feed movement of the projected member.

12. In a centrifugal feed device according to claim 10, means to control the rate of feed of fluid. from the second chamber and, therefore, the rate of feed movement of the projected member, and means to control the degree of projection of the latter member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

